A Conversation with the Deepsea Winged Serpent

“Hello, human. I mean you no harm!”

Suddenly, a voice echoed from the seemingly empty space, sending shivers down Ai Ou’s spine.

“Who… who’s speaking!”

“I am right before your eyes!”

Ai Ou glanced left and right, searching for the speaker. Finding no one, he slowly raised his head. After a moment of silence, he spoke, a hint of surprise in his tone.

“Don’t tell me… you’re talking to me!”

“Yes, human. I bear no ill will. There’s no need to be so wary of me, especially since your magic would have no effect on me anyway.”

The ancient voice resonated across the vast expanse of the sea.

Ai Ou gazed at the Deepsea Winged Serpent, which was remarkably close to him. He noticed the creature was also staring back, and a silence descended upon him.

Ai Ou pondered whether this was a deliberate ploy by the Deepsea Winged Serpent, a scheme to make him drop his guard.

After all, trusting a strange magical beast upon first meeting would be utterly foolish. Even with friends, one should always keep a contingency.

As if sensing Ai Ou’s vigilance, the ancient voice of the Deepsea Winged Serpent spoke once more.

“Human, I come with sincerity. I mean you no harm. Furthermore, even if you were to attack me with all your might, it would be negligible to me, utterly incapable of causing me injury.”

“To demonstrate my sincerity, human, attack me with the strongest magic you possess. I will not resist. If I truly harbored ill intentions, your resistance would be futile anyway.”

Upon hearing the Deepsea Winged Serpent’s words, Ai Ou fell silent. However, the magical energy gathered in his hands did not disperse. He was carefully considering whether there was any hidden scheme within the serpent’s offer.

After much thought, Ai Ou concluded that, judging from their previous battle, a single roar and breath from the Deepsea Winged Serpent had annihilated a group of Ninth-tier magical beasts. If it truly intended him harm, he would be utterly powerless to resist.

Therefore, his vigilance, however sharp, was ultimately useless. In the face of absolute power, all precautions were but an illusion.

Yet…

Ai Ou still wanted to try.

Although Ai Ou had only mastered the Fireball spell, his Fireball was unlike ordinary magic. Typical Fireball spells had predetermined damage and required specific magical pathways to operate. Ai Ou’s Fireball, however, was more akin to an innate talent, a shapeshifting magic. It involved using his control over elements to mold their forms for attack. The biggest distinction was that the damage and power were directly proportional to the amount of magic Ai Ou poured into it.

The same held true for his Waterball spell.

The Deepsea Winged Serpent had declared that Ai Ou couldn’t harm it in the slightest. While it didn’t intend to be discriminatory, a subtle disdain still lingered in its words, prompting such a statement. After all, even with respect for an ant, a subconscious arrogance would inevitably remain.

The Deepsea Winged Serpent sensed the fire and water elements continuously gathering, surging into Ai Ou’s hands. It then spoke.

“You don’t believe me? The magical resistance of my scales can essentially ignore all magic below the Ninth-tier. Only Ninth-tier magic and above can breach my magical resistance. Human, you are still too weak.”

“I have come with sincerity; I am not demanding anything. You are too panicked right now, so feel free to attack me as you wish. Once you calm down, I hope we can converse.”

Upon hearing the Deepsea Winged Serpent’s words, Ai Ou grew irritated. “Too weak,” it said, “attack as you wish”—who was it looking down on? He was a Child of Destiny! He had obtained the Dragon Island System and was destined to control myriad dragons!

The sudden acquisition of power, and its rapid growth, had made Ai Ou a little conceited. Although he understood that the Deepsea Winged Serpent’s words were likely true, who would want to constantly hear about their own weakness? Besides, his previous Fusion Magic had been quite potent!

‘You said I could attack however I wanted, so don’t blame me if you get hurt!’

With a thought, Ai Ou channeled all his magical energy into his hands. As he poured in his magic, the fire and water orbs in his hands grew larger and larger, quickly exceeding three meters in size.

“Fuse!”

Ai Ou roared! He then pushed his hands together, pouring all his mental energy into the magic within his hands, preventing the extreme spells from instantly clashing and exploding. When Ai Ou’s mental energy reached its limit, he hurled the half-fused magical orb towards the Deepsea Winged Serpent.

Immediately after releasing it, Ai Ou, having forcibly overdrawn his mental energy, felt his head spin and saw stars. He half-knelt on the ground, bracing himself with his hands, forcing himself to stay conscious.

Sensing Ai Ou’s distress, Erza turned her head, looking at him with worry. She then leaned against Ai Ou, rubbing her head against him. Ai Ou felt a mysterious power flow from Erza’s body into his own. Nourished by this enigmatic force, his overdrawn mental energy recovered significantly.

Ai Ou’s headache also subsided, though Erza appeared somewhat listless.

“What did you do to me? It didn’t affect you, did it? Silly child, I just need to rest a bit! Don’t do anything that harms you.”

Hearing Ai Ou’s words, Erza perked up, chirping a few “ya-yi ya-yi” sounds and shaking her head.

Seeing Erza act as if nothing was wrong, Ai Ou could only swallow his worries.

He watched the fused magical orb he had thrown. As his mental energy faded, the conflicting magical elements reacted violently, culminating in a fierce explosion just before reaching the Deepsea Winged Serpent’s body.

In Ai Ou’s expectant gaze, the Deepsea Winged Serpent appeared completely unharmed.

“Human, I must say, you’ve surprised me somewhat. Although you are currently only at the level of a Third-tier mage, your magical attack actually put a little pressure on me, almost breaching my defensive capabilities! It was just a hair’s breadth away from causing me harm!”

‘It still didn’t break through, did it? A “hair’s breadth” is truly an immeasurable distance!’

Ai Ou could only lament how adept the Deepsea Winged Serpent was at showing off. While it praised his attack, it hadn’t actually breached its defense, had it? Wasn’t it just subtly boasting about its own formidable defense?

“While I knew it wouldn’t work, the disparity is truly too vast! Such a terrifying difference. Alright, I believe you have no ill intentions. So, may I ask, Esteemed Deepsea Winged Serpent, what business do you have?”

The Deepsea Winged Serpent remained silent, merely widening its eyes. A surge of mental energy erupted from its body, enveloping Ai Ou, Erza, and Elaine.

Ai Ou didn’t know what it was doing, but he understood very quickly.